S Arokiya Rajiv can't wait to hit Olympic track
Rajiv and his team now have the onerous task of rising to the occasion in Rio a task which is easier said than done.
Chennai: S. Arokiya Rajiv expended his last ounce of energy to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in the 400m. He came agonisingly close to punching a Rio ticket with a scorching run at the Federation Cup in New Delhi two months ago. But his time of 45.47 seconds, a national record, fell short of the Olympic cut by 0.07 seconds.
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, the Tamil Nadu athlete chose to focus on the 4x400m relay. The Indian 1600m relay team, spearheaded by Rajiv as anchor, clicked in the nick of time to qualify for the quadrennial gala. Their time of 3:00.91 seconds was astounding for the fact that only one team had run faster this year. In a matter of three minutes Rajiv and Co. had become a talking point in Indian athletics.
Rajiv and his team now have the onerous task of rising to the occasion in Rio — a task which is easier said than done. Indian athletes have a notorious habit of choking on the big stage. “I’m sure we will be able to maintain the momentum. Competing with the cream of the world will bring out the best in us. We need to run well under three minutes to stand a chance of winning a medal in Rio de Janeiro,” he said.